


The Scent of the Dragon

by Jitsch



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragon hunting, First Time, M/M, Scents & Smells, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:34:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24305200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jitsch/pseuds/Jitsch
Summary: Galo Thymos is a dragon hunter, also called Draker. One day he and the crew of his Draking ship encounter a very unusual dragon...
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 5
Kudos: 68





	The Scent of the Dragon

**Author's Note:**

> This is what comes out when you watch Drifting Dragons while your head is full with Promare and the GaloLio ship. Especially when you notice that Mika from Drifting Dragon’s is exactly like Galo, just in another setting. And then you see the “I XXX a dragon” meme with Galo... it all just came together.
> 
> So I had this idea and thought “Oh that will be a nice little short story, just let me write that down quickly” and then I spent like a week on it, lol. But it is still a short story. 
> 
> The worldbuilding here is pretty much the one of Drifting Dragons but I hope I’m explaining everything well enough so you can understand even if you are not familiar with Drifting Dragons. Also, I do take some liberty with the setting as you will see.
> 
> If you don’t know Drifting Dragons, the anime is on Netflix and has a very nice soundtrack. I prefer the manga, however, the art is just insanely good and so detailed. It’s definitely recommended, but don’t expect it to involve BL (or actually, any romance at all).
> 
> Also if that is relevant for you: Lio tops.

“Dragon sighted! Everyone on deck!” 

The call that alerted the other crew members of the _Foresight_ came from Galo Thymos, who was standing at the bow of the airship. He had not even been on watch, but as usual his keen senses had led him to be the first to notice the movement in the clouds. 

As everyone came rushing towards him, the target became visible to them as well. The creature that showed itself among drifting patches of clouds was almost as long as their ship. It was round and fat around the head but getting thinner towards the tail. The eyes were on the sides of the head it so it should already be able to see them, but it had either not really noticed or simply did not perceive the airship as a threat.

Galo licked his lips. “That looks delicious!” 

“Stop thinking about eating before we even catch it!” Varys Truss reminded him as he bluntly shoved him out of the way to man one of the cannons.

“But we _will_ catch it,” Galo replied and ran over to the second cannon. “Can’t wait to find out what it tastes like! Just look at that big belly, that’s going to be a lot of meat!” 

“Meat that we have to sell to make a living”, reminded Captain Ignis Ex, who was getting a bomb lance ready as he spoke. Aina Ardebit, who had rushed down from the crow‘s nest and was still out of breath, handed the Captain ammunition from a box.

“Remi, keep us on course towards the dragon!” Galo shouted into the speaking tube that was the line of communication between the bow and the bridge.

“That‘s still ‘Vice Captain Remi’ for you, newbie,” came the snarky reminder. Of course, everyone on board knew that it would not be heeded, just like the dozens of other times before. But the ship started to veer to the left, heading more directly towards the target, just as Galo had requested.

As they closed in on the dragon, its features became visible more clearly. Its skin was light green, spotted with rust red dots, and had humps and cavities all over. Only its belly, which was white and almost the same color as the clouds, looked smooth. The fins that were located behind the head were thick and leathery, barely moving in mid-flight.

“Leave this to me!” Varys shouted and crouched to aim the cannon with the harpoon. 

“Wait, it’s going to…” Galo started to say but the lance was already shot. Just then, the dragon suddenly tilted downwards, head first. The harpoon hit its skin at a bad angle and was repelled, although the explosives at the tip went off as intended. Varys cursed and started to reel the harpoon back in.

“Why did it move?” Aina wondered. Ignis took up a pair of binoculars to investigate the dragon more closely. He frowned. For a moment he seemed to notice a movement behind it, but it could also have been a shifting cloud.

“Remi, we need to get closer!” Galo transmitted to the bridge. This time there was no complaint about missing courtesy, just another small adjustment of the ship’s course.

“Watch and learn,” Galo said in Varys’ direction, never taking his eyes off the target, and aimed the harpoon. He sniffed the air, looked a bit puzzled for an instant, then adjusted the cannon and shot. The harpoon hit the dragon just where the leathery skin merged into the soft belly part. A quiver went through the beast when its skin was pierced. It turned away, trying to escape, but the rope on the harpoon stretched and held it back, shaking the ship when the dragon pulled. Galo shaded his eyes with a hand, peering into the clouds. He sniffed the air again.

“You’re not getting away!” Varys announced and shot the second lance. 

This time it should have hit, but again, it didn’t. The only one who didn’t seem all that surprised was Galo. “As I thought!” he exclaimed.

What they saw was a flash of black and the harpoon’s head that was completely diverted from its original course and plunged into the air. Then the ship was thoroughly shaken. Ignis and Aina were thrown off their feet while Galo and Varys managed to keep standing by clinging to the cannon holds. 

“Hey, what’s happening up there with all the shaking?” the voice of machinist Lucia Fex came from the speaking tube.

“There’s another dragon!” Galo exclaimed excitedly, “Cool!”

He had no time to get more excited because the ship was given another jolt. The newly arrived dragon was formed like a long snake covered in black scales that reflected the sunlight when hit at the right angle. It had closed the jaws of its prolonged snout around the rope that still connected the first dragon to the ship. What was causing the violent movements was the black dragon ripping on the rope. It was clear that any more of that could easily throw everyone off board or worse, turn the whole ship around. 

“Galo, cut the rope now!” Ignis ordered, clinging to the railing that he had been thrown against at the first impact. 

“On it!” 

But before Galo had gotten his knife out, a new jolt came and then the movement suddenly stopped. Galo raised his head but he had already seen this coming: the harpoon was still stuck in the side of the larger dragon, but the rope was cut off and its ends flapped in the wind. 

“What a freak!” Galo shouted, but he was smiling excitedly. 

Ignis helped Aina to her feet. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dragon do that,” he remarked.

“Biting through the rope?” Aina asked.

Ignis shook his head. “Helping out a dragon that’s not even the same species.”

Varys changed subject by pointing something else out: “The big one is getting away!”

They all focused on it immediately. Indeed, the big dragon turned and started to move away from them now that it was free. The black one lingered, right between it and the ship. 

“As if we’re just gonna let such a catch get away! Let’s follow it!” Galo decided and ran over to Varys’ position. He started reeling in the harpoon that was still functional. 

“Are you crazy? The black one will just stop us again! If it’s clever enough to cut the rope on the harpoons there’s not telling what it will do to the ship if we anger it!” Varys protested. 

“Then we just hunt the black one first!” Galo decided and aimed. They were drifting towards the black dragon, which was staying in position with its long tail cutting aggravedly through the air behind it. 

The harpoon didn’t technically miss - the dragon dodged it. 

“You’re never gonna hit, it’s too slim,” Aina said.

Captain Ignis nodded. “It’s very clever, this one. Look how it’s keeping its tail behind it, facing away from us. It knows exactly how to reduce the target area.”

“Hah! Clever it may be but it won’t outwit me, the number one Draker Galo Thymos! Aina, give me the narcotic lance!” 

Aina complied but she looked worried. “You have to get way closer to use that”, she reminded Galo when she handed him the weapon.

“Yeah, I know.”

Galo peered at the black dragon. Its position had stayed the same while the _Foresight_ approached. Its eyes were a radiant color that seemed to shift between deep purple and a fiery orange, and they were fixated on the ship. Now it became clearer to see that the black scales were only covering its back, but its belly had such a dark color that it was had to see the difference. The only thing except for the eyes that was not black were three white antlers growing out of its head above the eyes. 

The dragon opened its mouth, displaying rows of brilliant and very sharp white teeth in its big jaws, and let out a screech that made Aina and Varys cover their ears. 

“If you’re trying to intimidate me, you’ve got the wrong person!” Galo shouted back unimpressed. He gestured to the other crew members with his left hand. “Shoot at him with the bomb lances, we have to get him to move!” 

“Since when are you in command?” Varys protested, but when Aina handed him a weapon, he took it and aimed together with the others.

Three shots were fired almost simultaneously and caused the black dragon to stir. It dove below the bullets with an elegant motion and stayed low, passing under the airship. Aina gasped, but Galo had been closely following its movements and was ready. When the black head showed up above the railing on the other side, he had already turned the cannon by 180 degrees and fired the harpoon. 

It hit the the dragon, which was moving upwards in a straight line, just below the second pair of legs that grew out of its body. The explosives went off and the harpoon pierced through the soft skin in a place that was not protected by scales.

“Gotcha!” Galo shouted. Before the dragon had any time to react, he had already hooked himself up onto the rope that now connected it to the ship and slid down on it. He immediately clung to the dragon’s body. 

Not a second too late, because after a moment of shock the beast started to move. Its tail lashed out against the ship and hit the hull hard, knocking the crew members off their feet again. Galo managed to hold himself to the dragon by grabbing one of its legs, barely avoiding the sharp claws that the bird-like feet ended in.

“Use the narcotic lance!” Ignis advised, shouting against the roar of the angered dragon.

“You don’t have to tell me!” Galo yelled back and wrapped his legs around the dragon’s body to get enough of a hold to have one hand free to handle the lance. 

The dragon’s head shot around, rushing at Galo with bared fangs. 

“Galo!” Aina exclaimed.

A shoot echoed and the dragon’s head recoiled. Ignis was standing at the railing with a bomb lance that was still smoking from the tip.

“Aina, I need another bullet.” “Yes, captain!” 

“Thanks! I got this!” Galo shouted and turned the narcotic lance in his right hand so it was pointing right at the dragon. 

Just then he was horribly swayed, almost shaken off, and he had to drop his lance in order to cling back to the snake-like body with both legs and arms. A screech sounded. Then there was a loud bang of metal touching metal. Before anyone could react, the same sound came again.

“What the heck is going on? Is it breaking the ship?” Lucia’s distressed voice came out of the speaking tube, but there was nobody to reply. 

Galo had been thrown around with a rabid movement of the dragon, but now he could orient himself again and let out a loud and incredulous “Whoah”. Just below where he was holding on the harpoon was not stuck inside the dragon’s body anymore - the dragon had pushed it all the way through by banging the end against the ship. The rope was going right through the open wound. 

The other crew members were just as shocked as Galo, which explained why nobody was able to move in time when the dragon’s head shot forward once again, this time not aiming at Galo but at the remaining rope. It ripped it through with its teeth, making it free with a single yanking motion. It continued to rush forward, in the opposite direction of where the ship was moving. When the harpoon that it had freed itself from started to fall down it was already gone, pulling a trail of blood in the air behind it as it dashed away. 

“Galo!” Aina shouted, being the first who found her voice again.

Varys dashed to the speaking tube. “Follow them, now!” he shouted into it. 

Captain Ignis stood next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. 

“It’s no use. We’ll never catch up even if we could turn around and power up the engine to the maximum in an instant,” he explained to both Varys and the crew members who could hear his transmission. 

“B- but Galo is still…” Aina gasped helplessly. 

Ignis set his gun on the ground. “We have no choice but to trust him to survive on his own,” he said sternly. 

“The damn idiot…!” Varys exclaimed desperately. 

*

There was nothing Galo could to except cling to the dragon’s body with all the strength he could muster. If it had not been for the beast’s legs providing an additional hold he would have been thrown off almost immediately, but even with them it was not easy. There was no way of making it back to the ship so his only chance was to hang on until the dragon would touch ground. He managed to loop the rope that he always carried on his belt around the body just above the dragon’s legs for additional security, but even so he felt he could fall off anytime.

It did not take him long to realize that they were losing altitude. First they pierced through the clouds and then he could see the ground below coming nearer at tremendous speed. Turning around, Galo saw that the flesh wound where the dragon had pushed the harpoon through was bleeding severely, creating a trail of blood drops in the air along their course. He couldn’t help but admire how intelligent this dragon was - due to the barbs at the harpoon’s head it was close to impossible to pull free from it, so pushing it through was the only realistic option to get it out at all. 

In spite of the wound looking really bad they were not falling. The dragon’s tail was showing coordinated, although somewhat jagged movements that steered them in a certain direction. 

Galo turned his head to see where they were going. Below them was a mountainous area that was thickly covered with trees. He grit his teeth, wagering the chances of jumping off. If he fell down among the trees the branches would probably cushion him against the worst, but it was still very likely that he would break several limbs. There was just no way to control where he would fall jumping off at this speed. He had to count on the dragon pulling off a decent landing despite its injury, and hope that it wouldn’t plunge him into a lair of similarly dangerous (and unhurt) creatures. 

A small lake came into view, its surface smooth as glass and reflecting the surrounding mountains. He immediately guessed this was where they were the dragon was going trying to land in order to not run the risk of impaling itself on a tree. He was right. The dragon contracted its long body into loops when they were above the water, increasing the air resistance and thereby dropping speed. The movement made Galo sway dangerously, but with his hands cramping around the rope he stayed more or less in place. Head first the dragon dove into an opening between the trees on the far side of the lake. Its front claws, which were located about a meter behind its head, screeched on the rocky ground. Then its second pair of claws, right where Galo was holding on, made contact as well. The impact would have thrown him off sideways, rope or not, if he had not braced himself against it. The dragon moved forward a few more meters, basically running on its claws while dropping speed until it stopped completely, catching the impact with an elegant contraction along its length.

Galo loosened the rope the second he was sure the dragon was not suddenly going to move again, and jumped off from its side. He felt insecure on his feet although the flight had not taken more than a few minutes. His vision was spinning. But despite that he could make out the deep wound in the dragon’s tail that was quickly creating a puddle of purple blood in the dirt. Galo reached for the machete knife on his belt, the only weapon he had left, but before he could close his fingers around the hilt something hit his head. Already losing the grip on his consciousness, the last thing he saw was the tip of the dragon’s tail whipping back.

*

When he came back to his senses, the first thought he had came out of his mouth immediately: “The dragon…!”

He blinked. Slowly he could make out that he was in some kid of rock cave with bare, stony walls. Some light came from the left and when he turned towards it he could see the lake through the entrance of the cave. At least he assumed it was the same lake they had crossed during the landing. Turning around to the other side, he finally noticed that he was not alone. A person was sitting on a rock a few meters away from him. A dragon was not to be seen.

“Finally woke up?” the person said. The voice was deep, surprisingly so considering the delicate features of the face that was now turning his way.

It was only then that Galo realized his movement was restricted. His wrists were tied together on his back, and his calves were also bound by a rope. 

“What the-? Did you tie me up?” he asked annoyed. 

“Yes. Just to be safe.”

Galo eyed the speaker more closely. It was a young man with fair skin and straight platinum blonde hair that ended shortly below his ears. His clothes were plain but clean. On his lap he held the knife that had been hanging on Galo’s belt.

“I’m not someone to be afraid of”, Galo explained.

“That depends… Draker”, the young man replied coolly.

“So you realize I’m a Draker? But then there’s really no reason to tie me up like this. Listen, there’s this dragon I was hunting. It must still be close by…” Galo explained and sniffed the air. The scent of the black dragon was still very noticeable.

“You’re planning to kill it,” the young man said. It was not a question. 

“Yeah, sure, cause I’m a Draker. That’s what we do,” Galo replied. “So please untie me and give me back my knife so I can do my job.”

The young man rose from his sitting position and walked towards Galo who could not help but notice that he was moving a bit awkwardly - he was avoiding to put the full weight on his right leg, but hiding it very carefully by making it look like he was rolling over his foot normally.

He stopped in front of Galo and pulled the machete knife from its sheath. 

“Did you ever consider that the dragons you hunt don’t _want_ to be killed, Draker?” he asked coldly and pointed the knife at Galo’s throat.

“First of all, don’t call me ‘Draker’ like that. I have a proper name and it’s Galo Thymos!” Galo said aggressively. “And yes obviously nobody wants to be killed, how stupid do you think I am?”

The young man looked a bit taken aback, but kept the knife where it was.

Galo continued: “I’m not naive. I know that I’m not doing the dragons a favor by killing them. But the one I am hunting today is already injured quite badly. It’s probably hurting a lot. So I wanna take responsibility and finish what I started. That’s better than letting it suffer for who knows how long, don’t you think?”

Galo glared at the young man to mark his point. 

Then he sniffed, frowned, and turned his head to look around them again. “It’s weird,” he explained, “I can smell the dragon very close by, it’s almost like it’s standing right in front of- ” 

He suddenly looked up and focused on the young man’s eyes. They were of a radiant color that shifted between purple and orange, one that he very clearly remembered seeing just once before, earlier this day. He gazed at the man’s right leg where from this close up he could see a dark stain in the fabric of the pants, just above the knee, that seemed to be getting bigger. Finally, he sniffed the air again. He shook his head in disbelief, but when he looked at the young man again there was hardly any doubt left. 

“You have guts, freeing yourself from a harpoon like that,” he said. 

The young man raised his eyebrows. He finally lowered the knife in his hand.

“ _You_ have guts, jumping at a dragon in midair like that,” he replied, confirming Galo’s suspicion and leaving him with his mouth gaping open. 

“Now this makes sense! But how - Why - “ Galo exclaimed, both excited and incredibly confused. “I’ve never even heard _tales_ of dragons who can disguise themselves as humans!” 

“That just means our disguises are very good,” the young man smirked, then straightened himself up.

“Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Lio. I am a dragon.”

Galo nodded, still a bit overwhelmed by the reveal. “Well… Lio. Nice to meet you, I guess.”

They exchanged glances, then Galo asked: “Can you untie me now? I promise I’m not gonna try to kill you anymore.” 

“You sound sincere...” Lio said thoughtfully, but with an obvious glance at the knife he was still holding.

“I _am_!” Galo hurried to say. “I hold no grudge against you or anything…”

Lio finally put the knife back in its sheath and crouched in order to reach for the rope that was tied around Galo’s legs. He flinched in pain when he bent his right leg. 

“Are you hurting badly?” Galo asked with serious concern.

Lio started to loosen the knots in the rope and didn’t look at him, but he could not completely hide his surprise at the worry expressed in the question. “Not as much as before. When we take human form we more or less build a new body, so small scratches vanish completely. A wound like that… it’s still a wound, but not nearly as deep as the one I took in dragon form. And certainly not so bad that I’d ask anyone to kill me to relieve me from the pain.”

He took away the rope. Galo stretched his legs. “That’s good to hear”, he said sincerely.

He turned around on the ground so Lio could remove the ties around his wrists without having to move again.

While Lio was fiddling with the knots, Galo talked on: “No really, I’m relieved that I won’t have to kill you. You weren’t even our prey, and you seriously impressed me up there.”

There was no reply. Lio freed Galo’s wrists and the rope fell to the ground. Galo moved his arms to the front of his body flexing his shoulders, then rubbed his wrists. The ties had not been very tight but still left traces on his skin.

He got up from the ground and offered Lio a hand to get up. Lio took it after a moment of hesitation. Standing upright he was just a bit taller than the height of Galo’s shoulders, but he didn’t look intimidated at all by the bigger and more muscular man.

Lio silently handed Galo back his knife. Galo took it and bent over a bit to eye his face more closely.

“You really look just like a human,” he noted with wonder, then sniffed the air close to his head. “But you don’t smell like one.” 

“You have a very good nose it seems,” Lio replied. “I have never been found out before.” The hostility from before was all but gone from his voice.

Galo grinned. “You’re dealing with the world’s best Draker Galo Thymos, there’s no way I’d miss a dragon,” he announced proudly. 

“So, Galo Thymos, what are you planning to do now?”

Galo turned and walked towards the exit of the cave to assess their surroundings. From the cave, a stony path led to the lake from before. Around it rose several mountain peaks, all covered by dense forest. The sun was already low although it would be another hour before it set.

“Don’t think it’s likely that my crew will find me up here so I’ll better get to a human settlement from where I can try to contact them,” Galo said, half to himself.

Lio walked up to him, very slowly, now more evidently dragging his right leg behind. “There are no villages that you could reach before sunset,” he pointed out. 

Galo didn’t question his better knowledge of the area and just murmured: “Thought so,” scratching his chin. He turned back to the dark of the cave, blinking several times until he got used to the dim light again. As far as he could tell it didn’t go far into the mountain but provided quite a bit of sheltered space. “Well I guess this does look like a decent place to stay the night. Unless you don’t wanna share it with a Draker?”

He looked at Lio.

“You promised you won’t try to kill me and I feel you are a man of your word, so I don’t see any issues with that,” came the reply. “In fact _you_ would have every reason to be wary of _me_.”

“Nah,” Galo said cheerfully. “If you wanted to harm me you’d have done that when I was still unconscious. You’re a good guy… I mean, dragon.” 

Lio smiled for the first time.

He had just opened his mouth to say something when a loud grow resounded between them. They both looked at Galo’s belly, the source of the sound.

“You don’t happen to have any provisions, do you?” Galo asked with a trace of embarrassment. 

*

Galo came back shortly after the sun had fallen completely. By then, Lio was sitting next to a fire he had set up near the entrance of the cave where the smoke could more easily escape. 

“I was already wondering if you were eaten by a bear or something,” he mused when Galo entered. The Draker looked exhausted, his hair was in disarray and littered with pieces of branches and little leaves. His jacket was torn in several places and his pants showed several dirt stains. But he had been successful: over his shoulders he was carrying the carcass of a deer. When he heaved it onto the ground, it became clear that its head was torn half off.

“What did you do to that poor thing?” Lio asked. He did not sound completely serious.

“I’m a Draker, not a regular huntsman!”, Galo said and dropped himself on the ground. “The machete is not made for small animals like this and you have no idea how hard it is to move among trees. ” He touched a bruise on his forehead and flinched about the pain.

Lio pulled the deer towards him and started to remove the skin with a small knife that Galo had not spotted with him before. “At least we are not going to starve,” Lio said. 

Galo put the water bag that he had filled at the lake on the ground as well and watched Lio go about his work with experienced movements. “So where’s the difference between us Drakers hunting dragons and you eating that deer?”

Lio paused for a moment. “I’m not naive, either,” he said calmly, referencing what Galo had said earlier. “Humans have a right to protect themselves and to hunt for food, too. Earlier I was just angry because… well, that harpoon hurt like hell. And you got to my pride too, no Draker was ever able to catch me.”

Galo grinned. “I said I’m the best, didn’t I?” 

Lio gave him a cold stare. “The other dragon you tried to hunt...” he went on with his explanation, “she was pregnant. You would have killed not only her but also the unborn children in her womb... I hope she’ll be able to give birth regardless of the harpoon you got stuck in her.”

“Oh”, Galo said with visible guilt, “I couldn’t tell.”

“There’s a lot you humans don’t know about dragons,” Lio said. It did not sound like an accusation.

He started to cut chunks of meat from the deer’s carcass and pierce them onto sticks to bake them over the fire. “But I guess we don’t completely understand humans, either”, he added with a glance in Galo’s direction. 

*

After they had eaten as much as necessary to fill their bellies, they silently sat around the fire for a while.

“You know, I was always curious what the dragons would say to me if they could talk,” Galo said. “And now I don’t even know what to ask.” 

Lio smirked. “You really see dragons as more than just prey, don’t you?” he inquired. 

“Sure!” Galo knocked on his chest. “I love dragons! They’re my life! Nothing beats the feeling of seeing a new kind of dragon for the first time. Or the thrill of putting your life on the line to fight one. Clashing with a beast that can easily smash you to pieces if you don’t pay attention, that’s what I can’t get enough of. Ah, and of course when we bring one down after a tough fight we can eat the most delicious meat! There’s absolutely nothing that beats dragon meat, especially if you hunted it with your very own hands!”

He looked a bit guilty when he realized: “Ah, sorry. Talking to a dragon about the taste of dragon meat is…”

Lio waved his hand. “Dragons hunt each other, you know. Big ones eat small ones. I refuse to hunt my kin but that’s because I’m intelligent. Most dragons are just beasts that will go after anything that could sustain them. I have been preyed upon by bigger dragons, too.”

Galo nodded. “I see”, he said.

They both fell silent again for a moment, then Galo noticed something. “Hey, are you cold?” 

By this time the fire had burnt down almost completely. The ashes were still smoldering but it was not radiating warmth as before anymore.

“Humans are just too vulnerable,” Lio said tugging at the thin fabric of his shirt. Galo had asked him about the clothes when eating and learned that he always carried a change of clothes, a knife and some human money in a bag that he could wear around the neck of his dragon form.

“I’m not that weak against the cold as a dragon, but if I turn back now the wound will also be just as bad as before,” Lio said and pulled his knees to his chest. 

Galo got up. “You know what we humans do when we’re cold?” he asked. 

Lio looked at him in a way that said he didn’t.

Galo walked around the fire and sat down right next to Lio, then put one arm around him. “We warm each other”, he explained and when Lio didn’t show any signs of reluctance against the body contact, he hoisted him up and pulled him into his lap. 

Lio did not protest to that, either. He even leaned against Galo’s chest, but tensed up when he felt the buttons of the Draker’s jacket poke his back. 

“Ah, sorry”, Galo realized it too. He removed his belt, unbuttoned the jacket and draped the ends over Lio’s shoulders. Lio snuggled up to him, enjoying the warmth radiating from Galo’s body.

“Not bad, eh?” Galo said and put both arms around him. Lio just nodded, visibly feeling at ease.

Galo buried his nose in Lio’s hair and inhaled. “Wow, I think I’ve never been this close to a living dragon” he murmured. 

Lio could feel something stir against his buttocks. He moved a bit and felt for Galo’s crotch with one hand. It was hard against the touch.

“So that’s what you meant when you said you _love_ dragons”, he said with a sheepish grin. 

Galo let go of him in a rush of embarrassment. “That’s not… I mean… This is just because… I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

Lio kept smiling. “You don’t,” he said. “I’m a bit surprised about myself but I guess I just really like you company.”

Galo looked incredibly relieved, but his face was still red. “T- then you don’t mind if I…” he mumbled.

Instead of a spoken answer, Lio tucked on Galo’s sleeves to pull his arms back around him. Galo tightened his grip.

“This smell of yours is just too irresistible…” he murmured and pressed his nose against Lio’s neck. “The other guys from the crew always try to pick up women when we stay the night in a town but… I thought all I need is the thrill of hunting dragons. Sometimes it excites me so much that I get hard like this… And now you are here, smelling like a dragon… because you _are_ a dragon… and I can’t think clearly anymore.”

Lio tilted and turned his head until he could look into Galo’s eyes. He was smiling. 

“Some of us say that the reason why we can take this form is to lay with humans. I never wanted to deceive someone in that way, but here you are, drawn to me _because_ I’m a dragon… and that really excites me.”

Lio put a hand on Galo’s cheek, then craned his neck up and pressed his lips onto Galo’s. Galo pushed back carefully. Lio’s tongue brushed against Galo’s lips which caused him to open his mouth. Their tongues met, carefully feeling up against each other. Lio pulled himself up against Galo’s body and wrapped his arms around his neck.

Galo’s big hands moved across Lio’s back, feeling the slender body below the loose fabric of his shirt. He moved them further down and closed them gently around his ass. Lio sighed into their kiss. With one hand he touched Galo’s crotch again. If anything, it felt harder than before.

Galo untied the cord that was holding Lio’s pants and pulled them down. Lio was already hard as well. 

“Even that part looks just like a human’s,” Galo remarked. 

Lio chuckled. “As I said, we are very good at disguising ourselves.”

Galo kissed his neck and inhaled deeply. “If it weren’t for that smell… Hm…” 

The penis inside the Draker’s pants twitched and it felt like it had just gotten even bigger. Lio pulled it out. He started to rub up and down across its length with his hand. It made Galo groan with pleasure. Lio continued with slow movements, going by Galo’s reactions to find the ones he liked best. Not long and Galo gave a hushed warning, then his body twitched and semen spilled over Lio’s hand.

Galo looked at Lio, his chest moving with heavy breaths. The fire in his eyes said that he was far from done. He wrapped one arm around Lio’s waist, with the other hand he pushed back the foreskin on his penis. They kissed again, only interrupted by excited breathing. Lio felt below thin shirt that Galo was wearing under his jacket and tucked at his nipples. Galo chuckled. “Why are you doing that?”

“I wondered if you are sensitive there”, Lio said. Galo shook his head, but then he got the implication. “Are you?”

He pulled up Lio’s shirt to remove it completely. Still stroking his penis with the right hand he lightly pinched his nipple with the left. A pleasurable, rather high-pitched gasp escaped Lio. Galo leaned in and brushed his lips against the other nipple. He circled it with his tongue, then played with it pushing it up and down. Lio trembled in his arms, short excited gasps indicating his pleasure. Galo didn’t stop or slow down until Lio jolted, whispered “it’s coming out” and ejaculated.

Lio was panting, wearing a satisfied smile. “You’re a draker alright, you really know how to handle a dragon”, he complimented. 

“I said I’m the best, didn’t I?” Galo licked some of the semen from his hand. “This smells like dragon too”, he remarked happily. 

They looked at each other. 

“You’re not tired yet, are you?” Lio asked provokingly.

“Hah, me? There’s no way I’d miss out on this chance. I can keep going all night.” 

“Good”, Lio said and leaned forward. He stopped for a moment having moved his leg in a way that caused him pain, but he didn’t complain and Galo didn’t ask about it although he must have noticed. Lio pressed Galo down with gentle force. Crawling over him, his hand went for Galo’s penis again, squeezed it lightly, then wandered even further below. With one finger he felt for the hole. 

Galo gasped. “A- are you planning to put your thing in there?” he asked with a hint of discomfort. 

“Where else?” Lio asked back. 

Galo looked insecure. “Is that how dragons do it?” 

“I believe that’s how humans do it when they are with another male”, Lio said patiently. 

“And that feels good?”

“It’s supposed to, but you have to figure out for yourself if you like it.” 

Galo nodded slowly although he did not seem entirely convinced. 

Lio leaned down to kiss him gently. When Galo relaxed, he started to again probe his anus with one finger. He slowly pushed deeper, feeling the heat of Galo’s insides. The sole thought of putting not only his finger there made his erection, which had never really subsided, swell up again.

He detached himself from Galo’s lips, pulling a thin thread of saliva between them. He stroked Galo’s upper body beneath the shirt with his free hand, feeling the muscles of someone doing physical work all day, then proceeded to squeeze his penis. Galo gave a low groan. Lio could feel his ass twitch around his finger.

“It’s starting to feel… not so bad”, Galo admitted. 

“Good, because I don’t think I can wait much longer,” Lio said, feeling his lower belly get hot with excitement. He pulled out his finger, spat in his hand and rubbed the saliva on his penis for added lubrication. He spread Galo’s legs just a bit more and positioned himself before him. The rush of pleasure drowned even the pain from his leg that his latest movement had caused. He positioned his hard cock in front of the hole with his hand, then moved his hips forward.

He pushed against the ring of muscles very slowly. Galo’s face showed insecurity, but he was looking straight at him, saying that he was up to the challenge. Lio gave it another push and he was inside. The heat and tightness closing around his penis made him throw back his head and sigh with pleasure. He grabbed Galo’s legs for a hold and pushed deeper among fast and excited breaths until his hips ground against Galo’s buttocks. There he paused.

Galo looked at him, still visibly undecided if he liked this or not.

Lio started to thrust very slowly, attentively watching Galo’s face. Galo closed his eyes. When Lio rubbed his penis again, he grunted, and now his expression started to change. First he just relaxed, then his breath started to come more quickly. He adjusted his position ever so slightly, changing the angle at which Lio pushed inside him. His brows started to quiver with excitement. A long, pleasurable moan came out. Lio knew he didn’t have to hold back anymore.

He started to thrust harder and more quickly. His leg was aching but the pleasure that welled up in him with every thrust was making it worth it. Galo was clearly feeling it now, supporting himself with his arms he even started moving his hips as well. They quickly found into a rhythm where Galo’s movements went against Lio’s, causing them to clash with even more force and driving Lio’s penis deeply into Galo’s anus every time he thrust forward. Galo’s groans grew louder, in turn making Lio even more excited.

Yet he couldn’t keep it up for long, his leg was taking too much of the impact and the wound hurt more with every movement. After a while he stopped and pulled out. “Sorry, I’m not in the best shape today”, he apologized with a small nod towards his leg.

Galo understood. He swooped Lio from the ground and sat him down on his jacket that he had gotten rid off in the meantime. He also pulled off the protective sleeves that had covered his arms as well as the shirt that he’d been wearing all day, stepped out of his pants and shook off his boots, leaving him all naked. Lio eyed his well-defined body, or what he could make out from it in the dim light of the cave. He held back a question about Galo’s left arm which was covered in dark red scar tissue from shortly below the shoulder down to the wrist. It was not hard to guess where it might come from, what was more remarkable that the rest of his body did not show traces of bigger injuries, only some light bruises that Lio guessed he had sustained earlier in the forest.

Lio raised his arms to invite Galo to come at him again, which he did. He crouched, brought Lio’s penis in position and pushed down on it with a groan. 

“Once you get used to it it feels awesome,” he admitted, grinning happily. Lio gave him back a content smile.

Galo started to move his hips, slowly at first but quickly speeding up. His penis slapped against Lio’s belly when he moved. It was dripping with precum. Lio groaned. The released strain on his leg made him feel much better than before, and Galo’s thrusts were powerful and drove his penis deep inside. He left himself to the pleasure caused by the tightness and heat of Galo’s insides around his dick.

“This is so good”, Galo exclaimed. He bent over so he was not pushing down on Lio from the top anymore but rubbing him at an angle. It forced him to go slower, but somehow that even intensified the pleasure it caused both of them. 

Lio reached for Galo’s neck and pulled him down so they could kiss again. The feeling of Galo’s tongue in his mouth, his taste, the smell of his sweat, all while his penis was going in and out of his body made him ecstatic.

“I’m going crazy,” he whispered into their kiss, “this is so good.”

“Me too.” Galo pressed his nose against Lio’s head close to his ear, his lips brushed against his neck. He inhaled as he had done a couple of times now. “You’re so irresistible. I could do this forever.”

Lio’s hands clawed into Galo’s shoulders. “Sorry but I’m not gonna last much longer,” he gasped. “It’s just too good.”

Galo kept moving in the same way until Lio groaned and released his load with an involuntary thrust of his hip. Galo pulled himself off and looked at Lio with a soft expression.

Lio sat half up. “Come here, I’ll finish you with my mouth,” he said and grabbed Galo’s ass with both hands. He pulled him in and swallowed the tip of his penis. With his tongue he caressed the sensitive spot just below the tip. Galo groaned loudly. “Uh, that feels really good there.” 

Lio started to also tease Galo’s ass again with two fingers while he sucked on him, moving his head back and forth. He didn’t have to do that for long before Galo exclaimed “coming!”. Lio kept his position, catching the semen with his mouth. 

Galo sighed with pleasure and relief.

*

The next morning they ate most of the remaining deer meat and then had some more sex because there was nobody stopping them. Then they started to descend from the mountain. Lio had decided it was best to go to a human settlement where he was safe from wild animals and could get food without hunting himself, until he could safely turn back into a dragon. Galo refused to leave him behind if they had the same goal anyway, but his injury slowed down Lio so much that it didn’t take long until Galo heaved him on his back to carry him in spite of some protest.

They arrived at a small village at the foot of the mountain in the late afternoon. Fortunately the villagers were very hospitable and shared their food with the unlikely pair. They couldn’t offer them beds to sleep in but they had no reason to complain. The corner of a barn laid out with straw was not too uncomfortable and the sounds of the animals hid those of their repeated lovemaking. 

The next day they woke at dawn and continued to a nearby town in the morning mist, accompanying one of the villagers who let Lio ride on the oxcart she was using to transport vegetables to the market. Galo walked along with them. It took them about two hours until the small walled town came into view, and with it the big rounded structure of an airship that was moored outside the wall and which Galo knew all too well. They could see crew members in uniforms move around it.

“It’s my ship,” he explained to the villager and to Lio, although the latter already knew. Galo shaded his eyes to peer across. “Looks like they’re planning to go airborne any minute,” he added hastily when he saw that the crew was in process of detaching the ropes that held the airship to the ground.

He turned around to his companions. “Gotta catch them,” he said apologetically. “Thank you for everything.” 

The villager signaled the ox that was pulling the cart to stop. “You’re welcome,” she said.

Lio nodded to Galo. “So this is farewell. It was nice travelling with you.” 

There was just a hint of sadness on the edge of his smile. After all they had both known all too well that they would part ways sooner or later since Galo was not going to stop being a Draker just as Lio could not stop being a dragon.

Galo put his hands on his hips and bent over Lio. “It’s not ‘farewell’, it’s ‘good-bye’” he insisted. He straightened up again and gesticulated at the airship. “If you wanna see me you know what to look out for! And now I really gotta go! So long!” 

He turned and started to dash down the sloped meadow on the most direct path to the _Foresight_. 

“Good-bye, Galo Thymos! Until we meet again!” Lio shouted after him. Galo waved a hand in his run to indicate he had heard him, then he sped up. They could hear him start to shout to get himself noticed by the crew.

The villager made the ox walk forward again and sighed. “I don’t want to sound mean but you’d have to be really lucky to find that ship again. Drakers are here today and there tomorrow, they rarely come back to the same place,” she said, not without sympathy.

Lio covered his mouth to hide his amused smile. “Well, you’re probably right, but I still have a feeling that we’ll meet again,” he just said.

_Because that’s the way of us dragons, too._

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> That’s it, thanks for reading! I hope you liked this little story ;)
> 
> By the way I’m more of an artist than a writer most of the time and I have done some Promare art too, so please check out my twitter as well:
> 
> https://twitter.com/yellowjitsch


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